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76ers Coach Speaks on Joel Embiid, Kelly Oubre's Heated Exchange

Nick Nurse reacted to the exchange between Joel Embiid and Kelly Oubre.
Justin Grasso|
Apr 12, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) grab a rebound against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Apr 12, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) grab a rebound against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia 76ersDetroit Pistons

A Friday night post-trade-deadline battle between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Detroit Pistons had the home team feeling great—even while shorthanded.

As for the Sixers—even while near full strength—they couldn’t keep up. The one-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey summed it up to a slow start from the star trio having a trickle-down to the rest of the roster.

At one point, 76ers star center Joel Embiid seemed to have questioned the defensive effort of his teammate, Kelly Oubre. The two shared a heated exchange during a timeout.

“I think it had to do with getting back in transition,” 76ers head coach told reporters.

“I think we weren’t playing well. We’re fighting our way back into the game, and we’d taken away most of those transition plays, and there was an exchange.”

The good news for the Sixers was that Embiid and Oubre quickly squashed their issue before getting back out on the floor. The bad news was that it wasn't a galvanizing moment for Philadelphia.

They played better as the game went on, but the Pistons had control from start until finish.

“I think it happens once in a while,” Nurse added. “At least they got on the same page when it was over with.”

After the first half, the Sixers trailed 78-49 on Friday night. They outscored the Pistons by 10 points in the third quarter, nearly hanging 40 on their opponent after trailing by 34 points.

Still, Detroit handled its business. At the end of the night, the Sixers dropped to 20-31 on the year with a 125-112 loss. The Sixers are once again searching for answers as they now have a two-game losing streak to their name while heading into a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, who they haven’t beaten in six games.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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